Todd Schaefer

Working class Americans deserve a minimum wage that is tied to inflation and closer reflects increased production over time. From 1979 to 2019 productivity increased by 60% while median hourly wages only grew by 16% all while CEO compensation rose by over 1000%. Right now 10% of Americans are holding multiple jobs to make ends meet and nearly half of Americans can't afford a $500 emergency. This is simply unsustainable. I'll fight for a minimum wage that is tied to inflation to combat rising costs.

toddforfl4.com · Sources

American banks skim $500B from our economy every year in overdraft fees, swipe fees at merchants, transfer fees for every bill you pay, and by pocketing the spread on your savings while they buy OUR debt and we pay THEM the interest. My American Prosperity Card Act will utilize systems that we already have in place to recapture the velocity of money in our economy to benefit the 99% not the banks.

toddforfl4.com · Sources

Strong labor unions were the biggest backers for a lot of policies that we take for granted: 8-hour work days to 40-hour work weeks to child labor laws. They have fought for unemployment insurance, worker compensation, on the job safety standards, and family medical leave.

toddforfl4.com · Sources

Small Businesses — and All Businesses — Win Big Too Any business with an EIN (LLC, corporation, partnership, etc.) can use these Treasury-backed accounts. Owners or accountants simply act as the authorized account manager. Businesses lose billions to high swipe fees (2–3.5%) and near-zero interest on operating cash. The APCA delivers near-zero fees and full Treasury yields. The more businesses participate — regardless of size — the larger the Prosperity Fund grows for everyone. No caps. No means-testing. More participation = more benefit for regular Americans.

toddforfl4.com · Sources

The Problem American families and businesses are quietly losing $600+ billion every year to hidden banking subsidies and low-yield accounts. That money subsidizes big banks and foreign holders of our debt instead of flowing back to the people who earned it. How the American Prosperity Card Works Free Treasury-backed debit card for every adult American (18+). Your money earns the full risk-free Treasury rate (~4.5% today) — paid monthly. Zero fees for you. Use it anywhere debit is accepted. Capped swipe fees redirect savings into the American Prosperity Fund. Built on existing TreasuryDirect infrastructure — no new bureaucracy, no CBDC.

toddforfl4.com · Sources

Every other issue on this page means nothing if we don't get big money out of politics—both parties are complicit in a system that prioritizes donors over voters. Citizens United and SpeechNow.org v. FEC have legalized bribery by equating money with speech. We need to close revolving doors between government and special interests, elect politicians who speak to voters instead of donors, and ensure massive fundraising—like the $1.73M raised by our incumbent last cycle—doesn't buy influence in Congress.

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Rank choice voting removes the poison pill of 'Spoiler Candidates' from the duopoly toolkit. If you support the Libertarian over the Republican or the Green over the Democrat, you as a voter rank them in your preferred order. This is obviously done at the state level, but I will support any effort that is ongoing to make this a reality for voters. More choice is more democracy.

toddforfl4.com · Sources

What Happens to the Savings (~$215–260 Billion/Year at scale) 50% → Stronger Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit for working families. 30% → Direct paydown of the national debt (priority: reduce foreign holdings). 20% → Administration (shrinks as adoption grows). Every 1% uptake is projected to deliver roughly a $90–$100 annual boost to expanded EITC/CTC benefits for ~25–28 million working families — plus additional gains from business participation.

toddforfl4.com · Sources

The American Prosperity Card Act is my #1 issue. It’s not just another policy — it’s how we pull back the curtain on money, end the hidden bank skim, and make government accountable in real time. When your money is on the line, politicians can’t hide.

toddforfl4.com · Sources

Fund protected by 2/3 congressional vote requirement to redirect.

toddforfl4.com · Sources

The Problem American families and businesses are quietly losing $600+ billion every year to hidden banking subsidies and low-yield accounts. That money subsidizes big banks and foreign holders of our debt instead of flowing back to the people who earned it. How the American Prosperity Card Works Free Treasury-backed debit card for every adult American (18+). Your money earns the full risk-free Treasury rate (~4.5% today) — paid monthly. Zero fees for you. Use it anywhere debit is accepted. Capped swipe fees redirect savings into the American Prosperity Fund. Built on existing TreasuryDirect infrastructure — no new bureaucracy, no CBDC.

toddforfl4.com · Sources

We pay twice as much as the rest of the world for worse health results. A single payer system would save up to $650 billion per year. The simple fact is: There should not be a profit motive in our healthcare system, yet we pay 31% of our healthcare costs to insurance overheads while only 69% goes to actual care—compare that to Medicare's 2% overhead and 98% to care.

toddforfl4.com · Sources

Institutional investors have driven up FL-04 rents 30% higher and home prices 50% higher than they were in 2020. I'll fight to close the tax loopholes these investors are abusing to extract wealth from our community and streamline programs to make homes affordable for our local families.

toddforfl4.com · Sources

My Approach: Close the 1986 depreciation loophole that treats single-family homes as tax-advantaged investments. If possible through legislation, end the ability of investors to get 30-year mortgages on rental properties — the best small business loan in existence that regular business owners like a muffler shop could only dream of. We don't need more subsidies that inflate prices further. We need to attack the root causes, restore balance between shelter and investment, and support local supply and first-time buyers through transparency and competition. True affordability comes from making housing a home again, not a speculative asset for the few. With real cost visibility and better incentives, we can start fixing what decades of bad policy broke.

toddforfl4.com · Sources

Our defense budget is set to hit $1.01 trillion in FY2026 under the OBBB—up from $852 billion in FY2025—exceeding the next 10 nations combined. It's time to reallocate to domestic priorities like healthcare and jobs, and finally ending the endless wars that only drain resources from American families.

toddforfl4.com · Sources

Ever since WWII, the United States has been in a position of global dominance through the use of force abroad. We've also weaponized the US Dollar against countries we don't agree with through sanctions and tariffs. We have chosen demonization over diplomacy on the world stage for decades. This culminated in the formation of BRICS alliance. In 2023, BRICS GDP exceeded G7 GDP and they are still expanding. We need to rethink our entire foreign policy strategy before we are left completely isolated.

toddforfl4.com · Sources

On Day One in Congress, the American Prosperity Card Act will be the first bill I introduce. It’s simple, powerful, and achievable — using systems we already have.

toddforfl4.com · Sources

Institutional investors have driven up FL-04 rents 30% higher and home prices 50% higher than they were in 2020. I'll fight to close the tax loopholes these investors are abusing to extract wealth from our community and streamline programs to make homes affordable for our local families.

toddforfl4.com · Sources

Our defense budget is set to hit $1.01 trillion in FY2026 under the OBBB—up from $852 billion in FY2025—exceeding the next 10 nations combined. It's time to reallocate to domestic priorities like healthcare and jobs, and finally ending the endless wars that only drain resources from American families.

toddforfl4.com · Sources

The Problem American families and businesses are quietly losing $600+ billion every year to hidden banking subsidies and low-yield accounts. That money subsidizes big banks and foreign holders of our debt instead of flowing back to the people who earned it. How the American Prosperity Card Works Free Treasury-backed debit card for every adult American (18+). Your money earns the full risk-free Treasury rate (~4.5% today) — paid monthly. Zero fees for you. Use it anywhere debit is accepted. Capped swipe fees redirect savings into the American Prosperity Fund. Built on existing TreasuryDirect infrastructure — no new bureaucracy, no CBDC.

toddforfl4.com · Sources

What Happens to the Savings (~$215–260 Billion/Year at scale) 50% → Stronger Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit for working families. 30% → Direct paydown of the national debt (priority: reduce foreign holdings). 20% → Administration (shrinks as adoption grows). Every 1% uptake is projected to deliver roughly a $90–$100 annual boost to expanded EITC/CTC benefits for ~25–28 million working families — plus additional gains from business participation.

toddforfl4.com · Sources

Free speech is essential for democracy, that is why it is the FIRST amendment. Yet it's under attack from tech giants, government overreach, and attempts to redefine "hate speech" that could silence protest. As a Reagan appointee, Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy emphasized its importance in holding officials accountable—I'll defend First Amendment rights for all FL-04 voices, ensuring open debate on issues like foreign policy without fear of reprisal.

toddforfl4.com · Sources

The American Prosperity Card Act is my #1 issue. It’s not just another policy — it’s how we pull back the curtain on money, end the hidden bank skim, and make government accountable in real time. When your money is on the line, politicians can’t hide.

toddforfl4.com · Sources

Built-In Safeguards Explicitly not a CBDC — heavy penalties for any attempt to convert it. Ironclad financial privacy — no surveillance, private right of action with big damages. Fully voluntary — opt in or opt out anytime.

toddforfl4.com · Sources

The Problem American families and businesses are quietly losing $600+ billion every year to hidden banking subsidies and low-yield accounts. That money subsidizes big banks and foreign holders of our debt instead of flowing back to the people who earned it. How the American Prosperity Card Works Free Treasury-backed debit card for every adult American (18+). Your money earns the full risk-free Treasury rate (~4.5% today) — paid monthly. Zero fees for you. Use it anywhere debit is accepted. Capped swipe fees redirect savings into the American Prosperity Fund. Built on existing TreasuryDirect infrastructure — no new bureaucracy, no CBDC.

toddforfl4.com · Sources